NCAA college basketball picks & best odds – Thursday March 3

Last night in college basketball was the first drama-free night in quite a bit. Auburn was able to pull out a win in OT and avoid being yet another top ranked team to fall. Tonight’s matchups will feature some of the best teams in the US, but no real heavyweight bouts. That being said, there are still a lot of things to watch for and some good value bets with the top betting sites.

Michigan St Spartans at Ohio St Buckeyes

There is not a lot to discern these two teams and this Big 10 tilt has all the makings of a pretty solid game. Ohio St has had a solid season that has gone off the rails in a few recent games. They are a definitive tournament team and will be a tough out for whoever plays them. Fans of college basketball cannot get swept up in their shock loss to Nebraska because that is not representative of this Ohio St team. Despite some recent struggles, they are still 8-4 against the spread in their last 12 games and should win this game in front of their home fans.

Michigan St has had more of a down year than the Buckeyes and while they should make the tournament, they will be closer to a double digit seed than they would like. The Spartans will come into this game on a 2-6 skid and have just as much motivation as Ohio St to get a win. However, Ohio St. being at home is a massive factor as MSU is 0-5 against the spread away from home in their last five. Despite these teams being evenly matched, the home court advantage of Ohio St should be enough to lift them past the Spartans and end their cold streak.

TCU Horned Frogs at Kansas Jayhawks

These two Big 12 teams just met two days ago and TCU won by 10 in a surprise home win. That game resulted in the TCU fans storming the court and gave TCU a lot of confidence moving forward. You may be surprised to see this line after that last game but that’s exactly what makes Kansas the pick. They are simply a way better team. And now they are a little embarrassed. Kansas players could not have been happy to see the court storming and now they return home with vengeance on their mind.

Kansas at home has traditionally been one of the hardest teams to beat. They are 19-1 at home in their last 20 and they play with a different swagger in front of their own fans. While TCU getting the win in the last matchup was nice and all, they don’t have a chance against an angry Jayhawks squad. This will be an opportunity for Kansas to show they are a legit title candidate and they should have no problem dismantling TCU. While this is a big spread, do not overreact to the last time they played as Kansas should blow out TCU.

Oregon Ducks at Washington Huskies

The Dana Altman led Oregon Ducks are putting together another solid season. Despite some early struggles, they are 12-5 in their last 17 and are on the bubble of another tournament appearance. They will be motivated to prove they should get in and this is a good spot to showcase their talents. They have the tendency to have let down games after big wins but they will be entering this game off a close loss to USC. Oregon will look to take care of the Huskies and it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. They are simply the better team in this matchup.

The Huskies are stuck in the middle of the Pac 12 conference. They haven’t been a good team for a little while and this season is no different. Washington is, yet again, not in a position to qualify for the NCAA tournament and while this game would be big for them, they do not have the talent. The Huskies will come into this game 1-5 in their last six and will struggle to fight off the Ducks at home. Oregon has won five straight o Washington’s home court and this matchup should be a continuation of that trend. Take the Ducks-5 as they shouldn’t run into too much trouble against a mediocre Washington squad.